Island



M. J. BARTLETT.

ANIMAL TRAP;

No. 395,309. Patented Jan. 1, 1889.

L (No Model.)

WITNESSES. INVEN TEIR- u. PETERS. Pmwhu m. wnhin mn. n. c.

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MARCUS J. BARTLETT, OF PROVIDENCE, RIIODE ISLAND.

ANIMAL=TRAP.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 395,309, dated January1, 1889.

Application filed July 27, 1888. Serial No. 281,204. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARCUS J. BARTLETT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAnimal-'lraps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanyin drawing, and to letters ofreference marked thereon, which forms a part of this specification.

In the usual construction and arrangement of animaltraps the animals areso caught or entrapped that they die therein, thereby giving to the trapa peculiar odor or scent, which in a great measure serves to preventother animals from visiting it, this being particularly true of the ratspecies, as they seldom visit a trap after three or four rats have diedtherein.

The object of my invention is to overcome the disadvantages or defectsinherent in the traps just referred to.

Another advantage of my improvement is that it insures the killing ofthe animal, the construction of the trap being, moreover, comparativelyinexpensive.

M y improved trap consists, essentially, of a standard portion, aroundwhich a spring-wire is coiled. The free end of the wire is clon gatedhorizontally, and is held in position under great tension by means of apivoted lever, which in turn bears against a pivoted trippinglever, onthe long arm of which a bait is attached at a proper distance from theground or base. The animal is forced to reach upwardly for the suspendedbait, and after seiz ing it in its mouth the animal then naturallyattempts to resume its former position, thereby depressing the end ofthe tripping-lever and releasing the wire or spring-arm, which latterinstantly swin around with great force, and, striking the animal, hurlsit from the trap dead. This method of killing animals is, I

believe, very valuable, from the fact that the trap automatically throwsthem from it several feet, thereby preventing the trap from beingtainted with an objectionable odor.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings I have shown a perspective view ofmy improved animal-trap. An animal is representedin the act of seizingthe bait immediately preceding the depression of the trippii'ig-lever.

The construction, arrangement, and operation may be described asfollows:

A, referring to the drawing, designates the invention as a whole.

a indicates the standard portion, from which at its upper end extends aframe, a, having the tripping-lever, due, mounted thereon. The standardterminates in an enlarged base, by which it is secured to a support orbase, I). A flange or collar, a is formed 011 the upright a, and isprovided with a series of notches or openings, 7L, adapted to receiveand retain an end of the spring-wire w.

d indicates a check-lever, pivoted at p to the outer end of the frame a.Said frame is provided with guide wings or ears g g], which serve tomaintain the lever (Z in position lat orally.

To the upper portion of the frame a is formed an car, 6 to which at e ispivoted the trippinglever e. The short arm of this lever bears againstthe upper or free end of the check-lever, which latter is notched, as atcl, or otherwise adapted to engage the lever e. The free end of thelever e elongated to 6X- tend over the center of. the base I), and isprovided with a suspended hook or holdenf, which is adapted to retain asuitable bait, m.

w indicates a piece of comparatively thick spring-wire. An end thereofis inserted into a notch, h, and the wire then wound round the standarda a few times to form a coil, 0. The wire is then extended in asubstantially horizontal direction, thereby forming a springarm. Inorder to set the trap, the bait at being first suspended from the leverc, the free end portion of the wire 20 is pressed back into a notch orrecess, t, formed in the frame a intermediate of the pivot 19 and thelower guide, g. The check-lever d is then raised from the dotted lineposition and swung back. into the guides g, (the wire meanwhile beingheld in the recess t.) Finally, the rear end of the lever 6 is depressedinto engagement with the notch d of the check-lever. Now, by releasingthe hold upon the wire its tension will cause the lever cl to pressagainst the lever e and maintain the trap in the set position, all asclearly shown by the drawing.

The trap is sprung or released by the ani mal after it seizes the bait min its endeavor to pull it from the hook, thereby depressing thecorresponding end of the tripping-lever, thus releasing the free end ofthe lever d.

The tension of the spring instantly vibrates the latter lever to thedotted-line position immediately followed by the arm of the wire, whichswings around in a radial direction and strikes the animal withsufficient force to kill it, and at the same time hurl it from the trap.

The tension of the wire may be increased by withdrawing the end from ahole, h, and inserting it into another one located farther to the rear.

It is evident that many minor changes may be made in the design andarrangement of the parts constituting my improved animal-trap withoutdeparting from the spirit of the illventionas, for example, thespring-arm may be arranged so that it will vibrate in a vertical plane,although I consider the position of the wire as shown the best.

I claim as my invention 1. In an animal-trap, the combination, with astandard having an extension provided with a bait-carrying trippingdevice, substantially as described, of a spring-arm, 20, having an endthereof coiled around said standard and fixed therein, the opposite endthereof engaging with the tripping device, substantially as described,and for the purpose hereinbefore Set forth.

2. The combination, in an animal-trap, with a standard and the spring-arm w, coiled around and attached to said standard, of a check-1ever,cl, pivoted to an extension of the standard adapted to retain the freeend of said spring arm in a normal position, and a pivotedtripping-lever, 6, having one end adapted to engage the free end of thecheck-lever and the other provided with a bait-carrying hook, allconstructed and arranged substantially as shown and hereinbeforedescribed.

The animal trap A, hereinbefore described, consisting of the standard0., provided with an extension, a,the spring-arm w, coiled around thestandard and secured thereto, the check-lever (Z, pivoted to saidextension, and the pivoted bait-carrying tripping-lever 6, adapted toengage the upper end of the checklever, all combined and adapted foroperation substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence oftwowitnesses.

MARCUS J. BARTLETT.

Witnesses:

CHARLES HANNIGAN, Eo. H. REMINGTON.

